I Volunteer...as a Baby Hugger

When our eldest daughter was gravely ill and we spent two months in the hospital, we were so blessed by the dedication of the staff of the Children's Hospital of Winnipeg's Health Science Centre. While we were confined to the hospital, Kate attended school, went to a wonderfully equipped playroom, was visited by celebrities and a clown named Hubert, borrowed books and music and movies and our family was embraced and supported in every way possible. I knew then that sometime and somehow, I wanted to return the kindness that was offered to us.

I often said to myself, when I retire, this is something that I really want to do. And then one day, I thought "what the heck am I waiting for? I could do this right now." So, almost 20 years after our own hospital stay, I was accepted to be a volunteer "baby hugger."

Once a week for the past four years, I head to the ward that has been assigned to me where there are sometimes little ones, that for a variety of reasons are completely on their own in the hospital. This is no one's fault -- just the circumstances of life. In other cases, there are parents who have stayed by their babies' crib-side and desperately need a break.

Perhaps it is to rush home for their other children or to make a phone call or buy their supper. This is where I come in. I don a hospital gown (and mask and gloves if the child is in isolation) and spend a couple of hours in my special bliss.

Sometimes I gather up some toys or read or sing nursery rhymes or play patty cake. Other times, I get out a stroller or a wagon and walk the halls to provide a change of scene. When diapers need changing, or bottles need giving, I am there for that too. But my favourite moments are when I can soothe a baby who is being examined by a doctor, or provide a finger to grasp or coax out a smile. And the very best times are when a little one relaxes and falls asleep in my arms and against my heart.

I am quite sure that I get far more than I give. All my cares and stresses melt away. I am in my happy place. I can't say enough about the joys of volunteering in a manner like this. Pick you passion and volunteer.

"Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth." -Mohammed Ali

A study published in the journal Infant Behavior & Development revealed that the standard "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" has little to do with reality. When 253 college students were asked to rank photos of the same individuals as infants and young adults (without being told who was who), there was no relationship between how cute the students found the babies and how attractive they found the grown-ups.

No, really, it's true. It doesn't matter how many times you've heard the shout "Mine!" -- research shows babies can sense fairness at 15 months.
During one study at the University of Washington, 47 babies observed videos of an experimenter distributing milk and crackers to two people. When one recipient received more food than the other, the babies paid more attention. That means they had expected a fair distribution.
The researchers also found that babies who did notice unfairness were more likely to share their own toys.

OK, so they're not exactly psychic. But a recent study from the University of Missouri found that babies just 10 months old are starting to follow the thought processes of others. Yuyan Luo, an associate professor of developmental psychology who conducted the study, tells The Huffington Post, "Babies, like adults, when they see something for the first time -- when something is surprising -- they look for a long time. It shows [they recognize] something is inconsistent."
It's called the "violation of expectation," she explained. When babies are surprised by something or notice something unexpected has happened, they tend to gaze at that thing longer. In Luo's research, babies watched actors consistently choose object A (such as a block or a cylinder) over object B. When an actor then switched to object B, the babies stared for about five to six seconds longer, meaning they recognized the change in preference.

Don't judge a book by its cover. Treat all people the same. We're all equals. These are sentiments parents strive to teach their kids from a very young age. And they should. Starting, like, immediately. Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom found that babies at three months begin showing a preference for the faces of people of their own race.
But not all hope for equality is lost. The same study showed that babies who are exposed to people of all different races are less likely to develop bias at such an early age.

Researchers from Brigham Young University found that five-month-old babies can identify an upbeat song as being different from a series of sad, slow songs.
In other words, they are happy. They know it. They will clap their hands. Or stare longer, as the case may be. The experimenters showed babies an emotionless face while music played. When they played a new sad song, the babies looked away. When the music pepped up, the babies stared for three to four seconds longer.

Babies have a sense of morality at six months old, say Yale researchers.
During the Yale study, babies watched a puppet show in which a wooden shape with eyes tried to climb a hill over and over again. Sometimes a second puppet helped him up the hill, and other times a third puppet pushed him down.
After watching the act several times, the babies were presented with both puppets. They showed a clear preference for the good characters over the bad ones by reaching to play with the good puppet.

Dr. Janet Werker of the University of British Columbia, who studies how babies perceive language, found that if a mother spoke two languages while pregnant, her infant could recognize the difference between the two.
And they don't even have to be spoken out loud. Werker's research found that infants four to six months old can visually discriminate two languages when watching muted videos of someone speaking both.